Love Is a Bourgeois Construct

"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Electric
B-side
  • "Entschuldigung!"
  • "Get It Online"
Released2 September 2013
GenreHi-NRG[1][2]
Length6:41
Labelx2
Songwriters
ProducerStuart Price
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Vocal"
(2013)		 "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct"
(2013)		 "Thursday"
(2013)
Music video
"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (audio) on YouTube

"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their twelfth studio album, Electric (2013). It was released on 2 September 2013 as the album's third single. The song is based on the instrumental "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left to Shepherds" (1982), a minimalist piece by Michael Nyman,[3] which in turn is based on the Prelude to Act III, Scene 2 of the opera King Arthur (1691) by Henry Purcell.[4]

The Guardian named "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" the fourth best track of the year,[5] and Slant Magazine listed the song at number 18 on its "25 Best Singles of 2013" list.[6]

Background and recording

"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" was written in 2012[7] in Berlin after the completion of the Pet Shop Boys' album Elysium earlier that year.[8] Chris Lowe had the idea to write music inspired by "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left to Shepherds".[9] Neil Tennant came up with the title based on a passage from the novel Nice Work by David Lodge, about a plant manager who falls in love with a feminist university lecturer.[7]

"I've been in love with you for weeks."

"There's no such thing," she says. "It's a rhetorical device. It's a bourgeois fallacy."

"Haven't you ever been in love, then?"

"When I was younger," she says, "I allowed myself to be constructed by the discourse of romantic love for a while, yes."[10]

For the song, Tennant imagined a middle-class man who was living a comfortable life, until his partner left him and his bourgeois lifestyle became meaningless.[9] The lyrics make reference to the writings of Karl Marx, from the narrator's university days,[9] and to Labour Party politician Tony Benn, who was known for his tea-drinking habit.[11][12]

The songs on Electric were recorded and sequenced in alphabetical order; the demo was originally called Bourgeois, so it followed Bolshy.[13] When the song was recorded for the album, producer Stuart Price used the sheet music from Purcell's work.[14]

Release

The single was released digitally on 2 September 2013 in two bundles, followed by a CD single on 30 September. Both the physical and digital formats include remixes by Little Boots, The Penelopes and Dave Audé, as well as two previously unreleased B-sides, "Entschuldigung!" and "Get It Online".[15] The twelve-inch single was released on 9 December 2013.[16]

Artwork

The single cover artwork consists solely of the song title in a constructivist typeface. Inner sleeves of the CD and 12-inch feature quotes from the lyrics in the same style.[17]

Pet Shop Boys decided not to make a music video for "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" because they felt it would require an extravagant scenario and they didn't like any of the treatments that were proposed.[17]

Live performances

"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" was performed on select dates of the Electric Tour,[18] with scenes of the Goldhawk Road in London, mentioned in the lyrics, as a backdrop.[19] The song was played regularly during the Super Tour,[20] and it is included on the live album Inner Sanctum, which was recorded during the Pet Shop Boys' residency at the Royal Opera House in July 2018.[21]

Track listings

Digital bundle 1[15][22]
No.TitleLength
1."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Nighttime radio edit)4:10
2."Entschuldigung!"5:03
3."Get It Online"3:36
4."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (The Penelopes remix radio edit)4:09
Digital bundle 2[15][23]
No.TitleLength
1."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (The Penelopes remix)7:00
2."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Claptone remix)7:00
3."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Little Boots Discothèque edit)6:50
4."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Dave Audé Big Dirty dub)6:16
5."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Claptone instrumental)6:57
CD single[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Nighttime radio edit)4:10
2."Entschuldigung!"5:03
3."Get It Online"3:36
4."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (The Penelopes remix)7:00
5."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Claptone remix)7:00
6."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Little Boots Discothèque edit)6:50
7."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Dave Audé Big Dirty dub)6:16
8."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Claptone instrumental)6:57
9."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Little Boots Discothèque dub)6:50
12-inch single[16]
No.TitleLength
1."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (album version)6:42
2."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (The Penelopes remix)7:00
3."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Claptone remix)7:00
4."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Little Boots Discothèque dub)6:51
5."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Dave Audé extended vocal remix)6:47
6."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Claptone instrumental)6:57
7."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (Dave Audé Big Dirty dub instrumental)6:17
8."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (The Penelopes dub)7:04

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Electric[24] and "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct".[25]

On the album, a songwriting credit for "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" is given to Henry Purcell in addition to Tennant and Lowe; whereas on the single, Michael Nyman is credited instead of Purcell, and his music publisher, Chester Music, is also listed.

Pet Shop Boys

  • Neil Tennant
  • Chris Lowe

Additional vocals

  • Stuart Price
  • Andy Crookston
  • Pete Gleadall
  • Luke Halls

Charts

Chart performance for "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct"
Chart (2013) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[26] 105
UK Indie (Official Charts)[27]18
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[28]38
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[29]1
US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[30] 4

References

  1. ↑ "Album review: Pet Shop Boys, Electric". The Scotsman. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Walters, Barry. "SPIN's 20 Best Pop Albums of 2013: 16 – Pet Shop Boys, Electric (x2)". Spin. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "'Love is a bourgeois construct' single". PetShopBoys.co.uk. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Chasing Sheep is Best Left to Shepherds (The Draughtsman's Contract) (1982)". Wise Music Classical. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "The best tracks of 2013: our top 20". The Guardian. 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  6. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (11 December 2013). "The 25 Best Singles of 2013". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 Tennant, Neil (2018). One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem: 1979–2016. London: Faber & Faber. p. 118. ISBN 9780571348916.
  8. ↑ Pet Shop Boys and Stuart Price (3 January 2024). Album Track by Track (Band and Producer Commentary) (audio commentary). x2.
  9. 1 2 3 "History: September 2013". petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  10. ↑ Lodge, David (1990). Nice Work. New York: Penguin Books. Part 5, chapter 2, page 210. ISBN 0140133968.
  11. ↑ Levine, Nick (21 January 2020). "Why Pet Shop Boys are still the cleverest men in pop". BBC. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Houston, Muiris (7 April 2014). "Tony Benn, Earl Grey and William Gladstone can't all be wrong, can they?". The Irish Times. Dublin. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  13. ↑ Robinson, Peter (25 June 2013). "A lengthy Neil Tennant interview". Popjustice. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Daw, Robbie (21 June 2013). "Pet Shop Boys Discuss 'Electric', Their Euphoric Summer Album: Idolator Interview". Idolator. It's a sample of Purcell. It's not a sample at all, actually. It's being re-played by Stuart from the original sheet music.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Love is a Bourgeois Construct release information". PetShopBoys.co.uk. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Vinyl". PetShopBoys.co.uk. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  17. 1 2 Heath, Chris; Hoare, Philip (2026). Pet Shop Boys Volume: The Complete Visual Record. New York: Thames & Hudson. pp. 418–19. ISBN 9780500027479.
  18. ↑ "Songs played by tour: Electric Tour". setlist.fm. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  19. ↑ Needham, Alex (8 June 2014). "Pet Shop Boys review - tightrope walking between folk and art". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "Songs played by tour: Super Tour". setlist.fm. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  21. ↑ Sinclair, Paul (30 January 2019). "Pet Shop Boys / Inner Sanctum". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  22. ↑ "Love is a Bourgeois Construct – EP by Pet Shop Boys". Apple Music. United Kingdom. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  23. ↑ "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct (Remixes) by Pet Shop Boys". Apple Music. United Kingdom. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  24. ↑ Pet Shop Boys (2013). Electric (liner notes). x2. X20003CD1.
  25. ↑ Pet Shop Boys (2013). Love is a bourgeois construct (liner notes). x2. 5060186920504.
  26. ↑ "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2013". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  27. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart on 8/9/2013 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  28. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  29. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  30. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Hot Singles Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
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